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AGBAKURO COMPOUND
Where do I start my memoirs? To do justice to my grandma’s love for, and interest in, me I should begin from her residence at 6 Agbakuro compound, along Ayesan Street, Ile-Ife.
It was a somewhat crowded house especially at month end when farmers came back home for the monthly meeting.
How dearly and intimately I remember elderly loving acquaintances and how they cradled us, hoping for best results from our humble beginnings. Were it possible for mortals to wake the dead from their slumber, I would request that my departed uncles at Agbakuro compound rise and relish the fulfilment of their jealously guarded desires for our success in life. I mean those of us cradled by my grandmother, Mrs Aina Jamilat Akinyele (Iya Oniyan), her brother, Chief James Odunlade, Pa Nasiru Oguntoye and other “mothers” at 6, Agbakuro compound- my humble self and Dauda (now David) Oguntoye, a successful retiree at Binatone group and responsible family man. The tide of Fate may have swept some to the Great Beyond but everyone made it in their own modest ways before passing on.
May the spirits of our dear mentors at Agbakuro compound continue to thrive in joyous service. Continue reading
RE: INTERPRETATION OF AYAH BY SHEIKH NURUDEEN HAKEEM (RTA)
{وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِي آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَا ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ} [الأعراف : 172]
link: http://quran.ksu.edu.sa/index.php?aya=7_172
I remember that day in 1986 or thereabouts when Sheikh Nurudeen Hakeem(RTA) interpreted this verse to members of Jama’at Faedhat Tijaniyyat Ibrahimiyyah at Enuwa. May Allah continue to bless our Sheikh and his faithful follower, Sheikh Alh Abdul-Wahab Omisore in Aljanah Firdaus (Aamiin)
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OLANIRAN OGUNYEMI-OGUNGBEMI, KUNLE OLASOPE, YOMI ONABOLU AND AYODEJI IYANDA
Glory be to God of Justice for the great reward He has reserved for His servants who are hardly adequately celebrated for their services to Mankind. I don’t know why remembrance of some ace broadcasters registered on my mind few days back. Perhaps it’s as a result of the positive impact they have had on my life at various times.
In this connection too, I thank my late father, Ibrahim Adegunloye, Aperun Emeritus of Olorunsogo Mosque, Ogbon-Oya and his landlord, late Pa Disu Adunola of 18, Ogbon-Oya Street, Ile-Ife. Despite their being on the lower scale of the economic pedestals of the fifties and sixties, they both cooperated to finance the monthly subscription of 7/-6d (seven shillings and six pence) to REDIFUSSION, the radio waves distribution company, owned by Western (and later, Mid-Western) Region. It had a booster located at Oke-Tase, now home to “Orisun Radio”, the Yoruba language service of Osun State Broadcasting Corporation. Redifussion administrative office was at Ayeyemoro, on Iremo-Atiba road.
Great fathers! It was through them that I was privileged, yes, PRIVILEGED, even as a primary school pupil, to monitor broadcasts from the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, Ibadan (now Ibadan National Station). How much were these responsible fathers’ incomes then?
YES, Olaniran Ogunyemi, Kunle Olasope and Yomi Onabolu. They were knowledgeable and effective news casters and programme presenters. I remember, for example, Kunle Olasope asking one of the contestants in SCHOOLS’ CHALLENGE/BRAINS’ THRUST, to spell the word “POMADE”. Neither the contestant nor his challenger could perform the task. Pa Olasope had pronounced the word as “po-m-aad” while the contestants were expecting the wrong pronunciation “po-m-eid”. When Pa Kunle had ruled, I quickly checked through my copy of “Michael West” and “discovered” that the presenter was right.
Many secondary schools used to participate in the programme. Although most of the participating schools fell within states now known as Oyo and Ogun in old Western Region, Idia College, Benin, and Manuwa Memorial Grammar School Iju-Odo via Okitipupa also featured at one time or the other, if my memory has not failed me. Yet, Ibadan Grammar School, Abeokuta Grammar School, Queen’s School, St. Theresa’s College and St. Anne’s, Molete featured prominently, almost constantly, on the programme. Schools running advanced level subjects (a.k.a. HSC schools) expectedly used to have the upper hand.
The trio of Olasope, Onabolu and Ogunyemi were powerful presenters and news casters.
Then in the late seventies emerged ace broadcasters on the Oyo State Broadcasting Corporation, OSBC (RADIO O-Y-O). Ayodeji Iyanda engaged my attention when I transferred my teaching service from Ondo to Oyo State in1982. Ayodeji, despite his Christian background, anchored “E dide, e mu saari”, on Radio O-Y-O. He would start the early morning battery of largely sponsored episodes with clips from “AL-HAYYU-L-QAYUUM”. The album was the premier and perhaps the only musical production of Muslim Students’ Society, MSS, Oyo Area Unit. The group, now MSSN, as a matter of policy, campaigns against the use of music for whatever religious purpose. Perhaps that is why “AL-HAYYU-L-QAYUUM” is no longer available in the market.
A track that used to interest me was:
“Awa d’opo esin mu o
Esin la o je bo d’alakhirah
Nitooto laa n kawe o
Ko le d’esin wa lowo o.
AL-HAYYU-L-QAYUUM!
(We hold on to the pillars of Islam; Religion we shall fall back on in the Hereafter; Though we are engaged in academic pursuits; Our Faith can NEVER be compromised).
Musa Abdur-Raheem, now a Professor of Arabic Studies at the Ekiti State University, EKSU, later informed me when we were colleagues at the Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife (OSCAS) that he was MSS amir at the University of Ibadan when Al- Hayyu-l-Qayyuum was produced. He can no longer lay his hand on a copy of the record.
Ayodeji Iyanda was one of the OSBC members of staff who returned from Ibadan when Osun State was created to commence broadcasting at Oke-Tase before the mother station OSBC moved to Itakogun, Osogbo and finally Oke- Baale. I had a rare opportunity to chat with Ayodeji one day. I asked him how he was able, as a Christian, to effectively and efficiently present “E Dide E Mu Saari Je”. He gave the Glory to God and he gave kudos to the cooperation of his colleagues. He even confided in me that the late Aare Musulumi of Yoruba land was so impressed that he wanted to encourage him to convert to Islam, an offer he had politely declined.
Teachers and journalists as well as military personnel and law-enforcement agents are silent heroes and heroines, many of whom are hardly appreciated. But thank God, the Record of the Almighty Allah is perfect and without blemish. His Rewards are better and more durable than worldly recognition and accolades.
May Allah continue to bless those who serve Humanity altruistically.
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APC, A REEKING PLATFORM?
I have just read Papa Bisi Akande’s reaction to the current crisis in the APC. Papa, it is a pathetic story.
I never knew APC could have harboured “subsidy thieves, corrupt business men and Northern oil barons”.
But before I go on, what is Papa’s take on the nonpayment of retirees’ gratuities and 8 to 12-month pension arrears? I think that should concern Papa more as a former governor of Osun State. If not, that would be rather unfortunate.
So APC has within its fold “leeches sucking from the nation’s blood”? As well as “gangs of past anti-Buhari’s presidency”? In the heydays of Pa Awolowo’s Action Group, could such aberrations have occurred to the extent that “gangs” now reek the APC platform? Even in the defunct UPGA and UPN days, could Pa Adekunle Ajasin as well as Chiefs Bisi Onabanjo and Bola Ige
(all of blessed memories) have allowed their bodies and souls to remain in such despicable quagmire you painted in your press release? Something is definitely missing somewhere.
My humble submission, sir, is that the present generationion of self-serving so-called Yoruba leaders need to go back to the archives to refresh their memories about the original Yoruba agenda, brilliantly presented by the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo at the palace of Late Sir Adesoji Aderemi, KCMG, Ooni of Ife circa 1952.
With due respect, sir, ti omode ko ba ba itan, aa ba aroba.
For example, AG never retrenched, AD did when you were Governor of Osun State. AD, under you, paid workers’ salaries and retirees’ stipends promptly, ACN /
Continue reading
WHO IS NOT GUILTY?
WHO IS FREE FROM GUILT?
Human as we all are, one tends to blame others for whatever shortcomings one encounters. But are we right to apportion blame indiscriminately at every uncomfortable situation? Perhaps not, if we critically take a step back in time and reflect a little bit recalling as much relevant information as possible. But a dose of intuition is necessary as well.
This is not mere fabrication or guess work. From personal experience, I have benefited from the process of intuitive reflection. As a self-proclaimed ‘victim’ during and after service in and outside the classroom, I have come to realize that what has appeared to me as victimization was and is The Almighty’s merciful process of cleansing me preparatory to assumption of a higher responsibility or a way of encouraging me to develop spiritually.
In some instances, when I found myself in hospital premises, either as a patient or care giver, my inner self had whispered to me that I had flunked the golden chance to be an hospital worker. I had advanced inability to fund my education in the sciences as a reason for turning 180° to a non-science course but it is an untenable excuse. I had been poorer as a secondary school student when the Almighty sent help through Venerable D O Olayinka, erstwhile Principal of my alma mater, Oduduwa College who facilitated award of scholarship by the African Timber and Plywood Factory,Sapele. Perhaps another helper was lurking somewhere for me to aid me at the post-secondary level too.
The bottom line is that I have come to realize that my past and present trials may be due to the immediate acts of commission or omission by a group or individuals but the remote cause resides in my lack of courage to fully exploit available opportunities. This fact I can no longer afford to run away from.
Lucky enough for me, the Almighty has given me the gift to realize my shortcomings and desist from blaming others for obstacles I have encountered in fulfillment of the immanent and primordial laws of nature.
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MENTORING
I believe in having a mentor and mentoring
someone. My belief in mentoring was further
solidified through a conversation that I once had
with a highly successful entrepreneur many years
ago. I ran into her at a conference and she gave
me some excellent advice for networking, self-
branding and how to grow professionally. She
told me some apt stories that made me realise
the undisputed power of mentoring and why
everyone needs a mentor in life or at work.
“I have a mentor. No one is too good or too
successful to have a mentor. You are never too
old, clever or experienced to have a mentor.
Most successful people have mentors,” she said.
Fascinated, I listened attentively as she
proceeded to tell me that some of the biggest
names in business have always had mentors and
taken advice and guidance from their mentors.
“For instance, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Mark
Zuckerberg etc., all have had mentors and still
have them. You would be amazed that most
successful people have probably been mentored
at some point in their lives”.
Mentoring empowers!
The more you understand the process of
mentoring, the more you realise that it’s no
surprise that some of the most successful and
influential people in the world can easily tie their
defining moments in live back to a strong
mentoring relationship they had or still have.
At work, when it comes to the wisdom that you
need to help you advance in your career, your
mentor will be the one there guiding and helping
you to maximise your potentials. A mentor will
also help you to open doors; empower you,
engage and enable you to focus on your goals,
help you to realise what you are capable of
achieving regardless of the challenges you
foresee.
Whether your goal is career advancement, career
change, entrepreneurship or you are job
seeking, if you need to soar, deliver great
results and reach the zenith of your potential at
work, you need to get a mentor.
According to the study, Does Mentoring Matter?
A Multidisciplinary Meta-Analysis Comparing
Mentored and Non-Mentored Individuals
published by Elsevier in the Journal of Vocational
Behaviour , mentoring relationship may promote
career success. Mentors can impart specific
knowledge and expertise which contributes to
protégé learning and skill development. Mentors
can also facilitate professional networking by
introducing protégés to influential individuals
within academic and organizational contexts.
These important career contacts can in turn lead
to career success in terms of salary,
promotions, and job offers.
New research from North Carolina State
University also finds that young people who
have had mentors are more likely to find work
early in their careers that gives them more
responsibility and autonomy, ultimately putting
them on a path to more financially and
personally rewarding careers.
Who is a mentor?
I value the mutual collaboration, knowledge
sharing and the support of my mentors; because
their guidance helped me both in my personal
and professional live. For me, I will describe a
mentor as that valuable role model of yours, the
person that you admire and look up to because
of their achievements, wisdom, knowledge and
experience.
Typically, a mentor at work is that special
someone who is passionate about their career,
has leadership experience, has the wisdom only
experience can provide, while you, the mentee is
in the early or mid-stages of your own career.
Usually, you, the mentee will seem to be the
one reaping the benefits of the mentoring
relationship, when in actual fact, mentoring
benefits both the mentor and you, the mentee.
What’s mentoring at work?
Mentoring at work is an effective way of helping
people to progress further in their chosen
careers. It is a partnership between two people,
the mentor and the mentee. Usually, the two
people work in a similar field or share similar
experiences. It is a helpful relationship based
upon mutual trust, respect and understanding.
Mentoring is becoming increasing popular now
that its potential is appreciated by most people.
When it comes to mentoring, I may be stating
the obvious here, but from experience, mentors
are a valuable resource for everyone. Whether
it’s someone you look up to at work, your
former lecturer from university or a successful
person in your field, a mentor can open doors
for you in your career or open a door to your
desired job.
In addition, research has shown that mentoring
relationships succeed and are satisfying for both
parties when both the mentor and the person
being mentored take an active role in developing
the relationship. Now, let’s first explore 10
concrete reasons why anyone needs a mentor at
work:
10 Concrete reasons why anyone needs a
mentor
When you get a mentor, they will:
1. Take you under their wing and help you
to stay motivated and discover the path
that you may need to take.
2. Understand what it takes to get to the
top and be a valuable resource by
answering your career or work related
questions and providing good advice.
3. Provide you with a wealth of knowledge
and resources and help you to connect
with various Subject Matter Experts
(SMEs).
4. Be your own personal cheerleader and
help you discover new opportunities.
5. Be an advocate of your achievements
and will be there for you every step of
your career.
6. Let you shadow them at work or
exchange career tips with you and alert Continue reading
MONOPOLY
A game used to go by the above title. I don’t know if the game is still extant. It’s a highly capitalist game based more on chance than merit. Some of the interesting commands are:
“Go to Marylebone Station and pay 1000 pounds”
“Go to Mayfair and collect 100 pounds”
At the end of the day, most participants will lose out while few will survive. That is capitalism for you. When we used to play the game we used to enjoy the fun of getting fellow participants out of the way through bankruptcy.
On the other hand there used to be another game played in Socialist China called “Mao” in which you served others before yourself. Late Dr Tai Solarin used to celebrate the game in his newspaper columns.
It appears the whole world is no longer interested in playing Mao, everyone likes monopoly. Even religious people now use the knowledge of their holy books to serve satanic ruling class everywhere. So sad.
Perhaps when religious leaders start believing and practising what they preach about the preference of the Hereafter to this life, the journey to Armageddon will be halted. Ukraine, Somalia, Iraq, Northern Nigeria are my witnesses.
Uyo2012
Memories of sweet service
Uyo 2012
Permanent Secretary Osun SUBEB, Alh Fatai Kolawole and Alh Yekini Buraimoh, D(Sch. Services) at a professional retreat at Uyo in 2012.
Sweet memories of service
yekeenibrahim 